Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation Suspends Officials for Money Laundering

Two DSI officials were linked to the acceptance of 40 million baht of brokerage fees.

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BANGKOK -Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation director-general Pol Col Paisit Wongmuang has ordered the suspension of the two officials, whose names were withheld on charges of money laundering.

A disciplinary committee was also set up to mete out punishment against them.

Pol Col Paisit told Thai PBS that the DSIâ€™s investigation into the financial transactions of a group of brokers that sold the land of Klongchan Credit Union Cooperatives and charged 60 million baht in brokerage fees from the cooperatives, it was discovered that the two DSI officials were linked to the acceptance of 40 million baht of the brokerage fees.

The land plots in question were impounded. But the DSI and the Anti-Money Laundering Office later unfroze the land plots as requested by Mr Supachai Srisupa-aksorn, then chairman of the cooperatives, who claimed that he wanted to sell the plots to raise fund to be returned to the cooperatives.

The land plots were sold for 477 million baht, but only about 100 million baht were returned to the cooperatives and the rest were put into Mr Supachaiâ€™s personal bank accounts, said the DSI chief.

The 60 million baht brokerage fees were paid from the money made from the land sale.